Feature-packing is not the way to innovate.

Right now, we live in a world where people always want more.  More functions, more capabilities, more buttons, more speed, etc, etc.  And some of the technology coming out is truly amazing.   

There are cell phones that probably have more processing power than the computers used to send Apollo 11 to the moon, remote controls that control half the electronics in a house, refrigerators that monitor their contents and communicate with their owners by emails.

Those are all really cool innovations, and they're great.  More is a good thing because it has opened up more possibilities than people could have dreamed of only a couple years ago.

The problem is that many people and companies seem to believe that that is the only way to innovate.

But I'd like to challenge that idea that more is always better.

Quite honestly, more features can be a big pain in the @$$.  Try operating that television remote intuitively, or take a look at the textbook-sized manual that comes with a modern cell phone.

Too many people think that products have to be packed to the brim with features to be innovative.  

After all, people don't just want a phone, they want to carry a mini computer that can record quality video, store thousands of hours of music, surf the web, and send a spaceship to the moon.  Right? 

But the fact is that products that do everything can't do everything well. There are always weird overlaps, and difficult operating procedures to learn, and trade-offs.

That's why you'll never hear a one-man-band that's as good as a real band.

Then why do many companies still insist on cramming features into an object?

Because feature-packing is the lazy way to innovate. 

It's easy to take everyone else's ideas and shove them all together in a single device.  Of course there are logistical issues to deal with... but that's always a lot simpler than actually thinking of something new! 

So, next time you see a product advertised that can do everything, don't let yourself be taken in and fooled that real innovation went into its creation. 

It's not something new.  It's just more old things in a new, smaller package.

Comments

[Bobbi Jo Woods]

Hi Katie

Just found your blog via the recent Problogger "140 characters or less" challenge. I thought that was a cool idea to get folks like me to discover some new blogs.

Anyway, I started reading yours and I like it :) Love reading the story about the dog, too! I don't watch TV much so I didn't even know about the story until I read about it here.

Keep up the good work. I like your ideas and will follow getfreshminds often. Since I'm a web designer/developer for small businesses, I get stuck now and then. I'm sure your blog will help inspire me :)

PS - Are you in the Twin Cities? I am, too!

[Drew Boyd]

Katie, this is a simple yet powerful observation. Many companies struggle with this issue. Thanks for sharing.

I decided to post about it at: http://www.innovationinpractice.com/innovation_in_practice/2008/10/lazy-innovation.html

[David Terry]

I don't think you can truly lay all of the blame on companies. After all, we as consumers have become accustomed to comparison shopping. The product that provides more bang for the buck tends to win. That's why we pay so much attention to spec sheets. Can you just imagine the bullet item "we left out all of the non-essentials"? Who would buy it?

I think Apple has the right idea (and I'm a PC!). They leave out the kitchen sink and somehow manage to market the thing as sexy!

But I think you're right. Now how to sell other companies on it.